The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus and an information recording method. More particularly, the invention relates to an information recording apparatus and an information recording method for simply creating a menu screen for each of different users who have recorded their picture signals on a single recording medium, the menu being created at a finalizing time.
Conventionally, content is recorded on the medium in a predetermined menu format. When a user selects a desired menu of the content, a hierarchical menu structure is presented for the user to select necessary items so as to establish required functions or to make other settings. One such menu scheme is disclosed illustratively in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-63765, in particular on page 7 with reference to the accompanying FIG. 1.
One disadvantage of the conventional menu format is that the way of presenting menus of the content recorded on the medium is rigidly fixed. Users are unable to alter the menu format in keeping with their preferences or according to the type of the content of interest. Another disadvantage is that it is impossible to express the passage of time or the sense of the seasons by changing the format of each menu page depending on the date or the time of day. A further disadvantage is that although content is recorded on a given recording medium in a format allowing other apparatuses to reproduce the recorded content subsequently, the content menu screen appears in a manner dependent on each specific reproducing apparatus being used. It is impossible to display the same menu screen preferred by the user on every reproducing apparatus that may be used.
Under the above circumstances, what is desired is for each of a plurality of users having recorded contents onto a single recording medium to create easily a menu specific to each user's recorded content.